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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
CDC Web site details
travel immunizationsQuestion: I thought the state Health Department gave references as to where to get certain immunizations. I need a cholera shot for a trip and was told by someone at the Health Department to call all the clinics in town until I found someone that would give me one. I was very disappointed with that answer. Surely they have better lists than that?
Answer: Unfortunately, you were given the wrong information by a misinformed staffer.
There is no cholera shot that is recommended for travelers, explained a health educator with the state Department of Health's Hawaii Immunization Program.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cholera vaccine is not recommended for Americans because the risk of the disease to U.S. travelers is so low.
In fact, the only licensed vaccine in the United States is no longer being manufactured or sold.
"The vaccine is not recommended for travelers because of the brief and incomplete immunity it offers," the CDC said.
It also says no country or territory requires a cholera vaccination as a condition for entry, although local authorities may require documentation of such a vaccination.
"In such cases, a single dose of (an) oral vaccine is sufficient to satisfy local requirements, or a medical waiver may be given," the CDC said.
As for information on immunizations for travelers, the Hawaii Immunization Program does provide such information to physicians and other medical staff to pass on to patients. Physicians may call 586-8332 or (800) 933-4832 from the neighbor islands.
The program does not give specific travel information to the public, although it may give general information, such as directing people to the CDC. It also has a list of some local travel clinics.
You can get travel information from the CDC's Web site -- www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm -- or from its International Travelers Information Hotline -- toll free (877) 394-8747. To have travel information faxed to you, call (888) 232-3299.
The CDC's Web page has a wealth of information for people traveling to various areas of the world, including recommended vaccinations, specific diseases to watch out for, tips for traveling with children, how to avoid getting sick from food or water, etc.
It also gives the latest news about any outbreaks of disease or illness, such as an advisory issued Sept. 26 about a measles outbreak in the Marshall Islands.
Mahalo
To all those caring strangers who took the time to stop and care for us when we had an accident on Sept. 7. I was driving my wife to work at 4 a.m. on Kuahelani Street in Mililani when an oncoming car hit us head-on. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. I did not get any names during the confusion, but I hope the people who helped us will read this and know how very thankful we are. Mahalo to two emergency technicians and another passerby, and the people who live in the corner house who called the police and ambulance. -- Lewis and Helen Baker, Mililani
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Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
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Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
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